Audio Technica ATR2100-USB Review / Test 

That microphone is perhaps the best choice for a beginning podcaster or RU-vid channel yet.

Bought this mic thanks to this review and im so glad i did, its so good at isolating noise and not picking up my loud fans in my room, my friends say i sound clearer and they dont hear my mechanical blue keyboard anymore

I bought this mic (ATR2100USB) this weekend (7/2/2017) based upon Bandrew's review. I hook it directly into my Windows 10 computer and it sounds great. Bandrew is the best! Really love his videos/reviews but mostly his point of view and sense of humor. He's one of the best reviewers I've ever seen RU-vid based upon the fact that he looks at everything that I want to know about particular products. Great job!

Podcastage, thank you for all of your hard work of reviewing microphones day in and day out. I really appreciate your thoughts and feedback on each one of these microphones!

If anyone wants a portable recording setup, then this microphone has a very useful function as both a USB and XLR microphone. This can connect to your cellphone through a Micro USB/ USB Type C/ Lightning cable adapter and will work with standard recording apps. Not only that, but it still has Monitoring which you don't get with lav mics or with the built in microphone.

For commentary or gameplay, I much reccomend this microphone. I've used this mic for a few months, and with a noisy keyboard and family, it does a FANTASTIC job of blocking it out. When in recording studio mode, the bottom/xlr jack is pointed torwards my keyboard, and when I say I have a noisy keyboard, I mean extremely noisy. I use USB and it sounds extremely amazing, and the keyboard doesnt hardly pick up at all. It is absolutely fantastic!

This mic was the best & easiest solution for a 2 PC (streaming & gaming) setup. In my specific case, I wanted a mic to feed to the streaming PC (for the OBS audio, open mic) as well as feed to the gaming PC for push-to-talk comms (which would either require I press a button on the non-gaming keyboard/mouse, get a fancy pedal, leave it open mic, do some wild line/in/out/software looping crap). With this mic, I run it via its own USB to one machine, and then via its XLR > USB interface to the other machine. Picks up on both. Truly an awesome feature.

Thanks for the review. I have been using this on my podcast and they have really gave me an edge on sound quality for a budget start. The hybrid nature of them came in handy as well when I was traveling to Denmark and did a podcast over there. I plugged my mixer into an adapter outlet without a step down and fried it. I was able to use the USB cables as back up and was still able to record a decent sounding podcast. Thank you for the detail you put into your reviews.

Great video, four years later! Thanks for the info + the laughs.

Sold. Thanks.

This mic is fantastic. You def need a pop filter, and I have a very heavy voice and it picks up bass way too well. I have to edit the "lows" post

Awesome; great review and sense of humor. Thank you for posting. You a funny guy lol

Hey! Congrats on 2k subs,i have checked you last time when u uploaded the SF-930 review,u had around 600 subs i guess,now 2k subs :O GOOD JOB! :)

I love your tests. They are very thorough and hi-quality. Thanks. It really helps.

Picking up this mic this afternoon. Good shit man, this is exactly the type of review I was looking for.

Bought this mic for podcasting/online studying and i'm happy Thanks for the review!

Hey! Thanks for the reviews, really helpful! If you had to pick one for a podcast, would you suggest the ATR2500, ATR2100 or the Rode NT? Cheers!

This review was really really REALLY good and it covered every. single. scenario. I am buying that mic, bro. Thanks a lot.

Podcastage, thanks for this very informative upload! Most helpful as I would need to record my V.Os for youtube videos and I am planning on buying this exact model. I had two queries though: 1. what should be the ideal distance from the mic for voice recording (noob exposed!)? 2. I see you aren't using a pop-filter - can I safely assume its overrated? xD

Great stuff, you really gave this mic a stage performance it deserves and comical too lol. As a beginner on podcast, I liked how it picks the sounds right on cue making it quite sublime. I think am sold...(unless my wallet goes ape on me) ;-)

EXCELLENT REVIEW! Thanks a lot! Also, random question - what camera are you using to film the review? Quality is great!

great review man!

This is the best review of ATR2100.. Awesome.. :)

I really love the content on this channel haha I think it's super helpful for people who do wanna start podcasting. Keep it up man. Since you've done a review on Behringer's tube preamp, would you be doing a review of the ART Tube preamps as well? Then maybe you could do a shootout with those in the same price bracket. Maybe eventually delve into channel strips like the DBX 286s and that Presonus one?

Just got this in a public auction, picking it up today. I'm looking g forward to testing this out for my on the go recordings since my phone can record audio through usb with the right adapter.

A mic pre is super important and the USB killing your interface is not surprising. Makes my job easier as I mostly need my computer in the more than say my mixer which has very good mic preamplifiers. I might get one of these for my podcast and maybe another for a guest mic as well on my mixer or use both on my mixer. Nice to have that versatility. Mic preamplifiers get insane in price real fast if you want great. But most of the time your computer is fine for RU-vid since they step all over your sound anyway.

Thank you for this! I must have watched at least 10 of your videos and I'm still not sure what to get! I wanted to ask you though: would you recommend getting a Tascam DR-05 for voice over recording and general podcasting needs? Thanks!

U deserve 100000 subcribers.In our country,a university boy is about to have that who makes tutorial in Bangla.Ur tutorials are both in English and practical.Good job,tnX for replying.

I think you had the gain set a little low on the external interface to be comparable, honestly. I've seen some other side-by-sides of USB vs XLR interconnect of this mic, and the biggest difference is that the mic's internal ADC has a much higher noise floor than a decent external interface does. Cleaner is better! (Plus the mic's internal converter isn't as high resolution or as high sampling rate as a decent interface, obviously.)

Very helpful review. I am starting a podcast and wanted to use this mic for recording. I'll be recording with 2 mics, one for my guest. Just to clarify, if I have a Mac, and plug both mics into my USB ports, and record on garage band, will I still need an interface?

When I’m connect the mic with interface doesn’t work Do i have connect usb cable??

Thanks for another great, to the point video. Could I use an analog 3.5mm to RCA to connect the mic to my receiver so that I could use high impedance headphones plugged into my Yamaha RX-V463 for monitoring? What if I wanted to keep those headphones plugged into my receiver and add a mixer into the mix?

Really this channel is the best of all RU-vid about Microphones. You make a really good work, congratulations, greetings from Argentine! I have a question for you, this is the best cheap usb microphone that you test? In my country we dont have so much options, probably i will buy it the next week :)

I have used this mic, and when I listen to my podcast I hear a lot of static, but I only hear this on my phone, any solutions

I have a lot of traffic noise where I live and my office is a large room. Would you recommend this mic for my situation? I will be using USB with no mixer. I am currently using the Blue Yeti and it picks up a lot of road noise even with the gain turned all the way down.

What's perhaps the best option at this point for an upgrade? I purchased the atr 2100, loved it in usb mode, attempted to use it with my behringer umc202hd and found I had to drive my gain up high and and boost it in OBS. I am currently about to order a cloud lifter as well.

I'm new to this kind of stuff, and need some advice. I think that this is the microphone that I want to buy vs. the Blue Yeti, but I wanted to know how easy it would be to have my headset plugged in (Razer Kraken Chroma) and have this as my microphone. The headset has a mic but I'll be able to mute it and I just wanted to know if I could use this mic while using the headset for better mic quality. Thanks!

Can I use two of these on my Mac at the same time?

Hi from Argentina, your reviews are amazing! For record music do you recommend ATR 2100 or Samson Q2U? Thanks !

Im torn between this and the Blue yeti. I like how the blue yeti is made, how it looks etc etc. However, this is alot better at getting rid of sound, which i have a close loud keyboard and fan. My problem is that I dont like kissing the moc. Any thoughts?

Great video. Would you happen to know if the mic will pick up laptop fan noise?

Thanks for your good review, I see you using USB with this mic but is it direct to PC ? and which App we can use when using USB connect ?

If it sounds better when hooked up as a USB mic, what would make it sound as good or better when using the XLR hook up? Would a better interface make the XLR performance sound better?

Would love to know what kind of boom arm you've got to hold it. Doesn't look like the one that it comes with. Thanks in advance!

Hi Podcastage, would you recommend this microphone to do voiceovers? If not, could you recommend me one? Thank you and great videos.

Is the ATR good for streaming/gaming at the same time without picking up keyboard/mouse? Also can I be leaned back in my chair and still have the good quality of the mic with just the tripod it comes with? Thanks

would this mic be good if you were to have two diff mics and use it for interviews?

Are you using a volume mixer/audio program at all? I probably missed the point where you said you did/didn't

Then at least how many inchs close will i have to be for having good quality for music?

Did you use any sort of post processing or filtering on it at all? Or is this just the standard sound signature with a bit of boosting in editing to hear it easier? Great video BTW.

Thank you for the review. I just bought this mic today for about $100 (new to this). I do like the duality of the USB/XLR. Do I need an interface to use XLR connection? I really wann use the XLR because my research tells me that I'd get better sound quality.

How does this mic compare to the blue snowball and blue yeti for game streaming? Especially with them sitting on the desk and not on an arm that close to the face?

i was hoping youd compare the sound of the mic without a popfilter/windscreen and the sound of the mic with a popfilter/windscreen also are you able to use those mic shield popfilters with the rubbers on this mic since it picks up audio differently than condenser mics. like would i be able to face the mic shield upwards?

what mic would you recommend for streaming i do have background noise and a budget of 150$ thoughts?

Would you say this is better or the Behringer ultravoice xm8500 for vocals, also I need to get an audio interface and aux cable for ultravoice so it will end up a little more expensive

2020 here ! For a podcast what would you recommend ? This one or snowball? I heard people talking of Samson meteor too ...

Great video. If you are having low volume issue, you need a software called Eqalizer APO. It will increase its mic volume.

I noticed that you can also use this as a sound card. On Windows, I can select it in the control panel, and i can watch RU-vid videos with it trough the 3.5mm jack with headphones.

Question here: Can I use this mic to connect it to Skype thru USB and to a audio interface (Scarlet 2i2) thru XLR? I want the audio to be delivered thru Skype and live, thru some speakers that are connected thru a audio interface (Scarlet 2i2). Can I do this: Record the audio into the computer thru Audacity or other software. Transmit live thru Skype. And, have the audio hear also so some speakers that are connected into a audio interface (Scarlet 2i2)? Can I do all these 3 things thru this mic?

Thanks for the video. You're really charismatic.

So I am looking at creating a podcast AND a youtube at once ...so my question is would I simply use this mic and then hit record on my laptop to film and it syncs into one file?? Can I use this as a mic for video on zoom?

I have this mic and I'm wondering if the at2020 usb would be an upgrade. I only use the mic to record rap music if that helps at all.

thanks for this! i finally found the mic i wanna get!

Earthing. Your video review was genuinely informative. And funny in a very good way. Maybe if you could

I am all new to this. So the only time I would need an XLRM to XLRF cable is if it is connected to the Bellinger um2 interface. which is an alternative sound system separate from a USB port. I can just ignore that cable if I want to just use the USB port, right?

Dang, son. I didn’t know you were going to play guitars at the end. Thanks!

if i get 3 of these mics and get a usb hub, would that work if plug it into my laptop or will i have to get a mixer?

Seems like the ideal mic for voice chatting with my friends online while slamming on my mechanical keyboard during games. That being said we also do a lot of karaoke. I've heard people talk about a delay but if you go into your sound settings and check the "listen" option is there a delay?

Does this microphone need to to be connect via USB even when using a audio interface?

Wow great indepth video. I just set mine up with my new DSLR camera and made a "how to" for RU-vid newbies like myself.

Once again, a great review. Thanks

This or the blue snowball? Here in Australia both are the same price. Which one is more durable?

Do you recommend this mic for instruments? Thanks

I want to use this for gaming and there will be speakers behind it. Will it pick up the speakers a lot or no?

Sounds like a great mic but wouldn't be good for two people across a table or side by side for that matter. Am I right on this? I know the blue yeti has that bi directional setting so that's appealing

Bandrew I need your advice! Should I get the ATR2100 or the Blue Yeti for telling horror stories?

Everything about this looks great, however I'm wanting to move around and not have to be up against it. Any recommendations short of buying an SM7B?

Hey man I have a few questions. I am planning on using this for podcasting and video production (video analysis and critique mainly, maybe some streaming). I am mainly gonna be using this on my desk. Do you think this needs a pop filter? I have a Dragonpad already, would it be easy to attach to the tripod it comes with? Should I stick with the tripod that it comes with or is there a better desktop tripod you recommend I get with it? Is there anything else you recommend I should get/do with this setup/situation in mind? Any help at all would be appreciated!

Hey there! Such an enjoyable review. Hope you can help me out with this though: I have a boss rc-1 loop station with which I want to loop vocals. I guess I need an amplified microphone for that, since the non-amplified one I've used doens't produce enough sound. This microphone would also need a jack plug to be plugged into the loop station. However, I'm also into recording podcast. I was wondering if you could recommend me a mircrophone that's suitable for both (and not too expensive), or if you would definitely recommend me to buy seperate ones for this. Hope there is one that goes for both, but find it very hard to know which one.. Thanks for your time already :)

if I want to create MP3s with this microphone, other than purchasing a pop screen and a boom arm, do I have to purchase additional equipment to create mp3s? Am I able to use this microphone to create mp3s with the Zoom recording feature? Thank you

I hope this make goes on sale this summer

I love your videos Great work!!!

is the sound quality better with a mixer / pre amp 48V ? Will I be able to hear PC sounds from the monitoring mic's output?

How does this microphone do if you are using one mic to record two voices? i.e. a podcast done in interview style?

Great video, very helpful! My family are quite noisy in the background, so I think this is definitely the mic for me. What pop filter would you recommend?

you gotta get one of those foams that cover the mic because when you say p or b you can hear some wind blowing onto the mic

Should I get this mic or the blue yeti nano? I’m stuck in between :/ help

hey question i'm planing to buy a mic i have two in mind the atr2100 and the samsun q2u could you tell me the better pick i'm doing simple rec for some mix tapes thats all. really need the help also if you have a better one in mind of the same price even if its usb only thanks

My ATR2100 didn't even last a year until it started not working properly with headphones so now you have to keep wiggling the cord so you can hear your voice coming through both sides of the headphones. I know it isn't the headphones either because it does this with several sets I have tried using.

I do not agree with the "Usb mode is better" Usb creates some hiss with the S's and T's. With Xrl you can have the audio board with a mixer and adjust the levels to your liking. It also greatly helps the elimination of hissing and add some depth to the voice. Other than that i agree, nice vid.

Hi, I got a question for anybody that has one. The volume control on the base, should rotate completly or is an "up and down" boton with just a little rotation? because I get mine today, and I think it coul be broken :(

Does anyone suggest using this microphone for recording vocals for Soundcloud?

I dont have a mixer or an amp, How can i use this for karaoke? i do have a bluetooth speaker and android phone

I think i might buy this mic for my channel

Would you recommend placing the mic below facing up?

Hi, does it sound a little high pitch or is it your voice? Also if XLR would I need a cloudlifter? Differences with ATR2100x model?

Brother I got this microphone and I'm using it connected to a zoom h4npro over an xlr cable and I find that it picks up a background noise. Any suggestions on how I can make it more clean

i do commentaries on gameplay would you recommend this our the samson Q2u?

I have a problem in Mike was busy but currently do not work on the USB reached what solution

I enjoyed your review immensely and I have some questions. I'm in the market for several usb mics to help the production of a conversational type podcast. I'll be needing 5 mics to cover everyone. I was looking into the snowball ice but apparently you cannot use several of the same Blue microphones together at the same time through aggregate devices. This is due to how the program the mics. They say a solution is to RMA it to them and they can reprogram it, but I'm not in the US so that is too much of a hassle. Will these work with aggregate devices if I just get 5 of these? Sorry for the long question. Thanks!